


you're all i see (you're all i need)

by emptyabstracts



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, Detention AU, M/M, Pining, cute shit, eddie has some.... secrets lol, homophobia tw//, maybe some fluff??, maybe some more chapters, other ships show up later on lol sorryyyyy i suck, richie and eddie meet and pass notes awwwww, richie listens to queercore music :-), slight bullying tw//, takes place in 1990's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2020-11-26 18:07:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20934479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emptyabstracts/pseuds/emptyabstracts
Summary: eddie was never known to be in detention. he always had the straight a’s, no tardies, only sick days when he was actually sick, he's at the top of his senior class; a valedictorian in the making.  richie tozier, was always late, failed his classes, and always took sick days, y’know, just for fun. when both of their paths cross in detention for two different reasons, the two grow close pretty fast.





	1. day one: the day we met

eddie was never known to be in detention. he always had the straight a’s, no tardies, only sick days when he was actually sick (if we aren’t including that one time in sophomore year that he had stayed home “sick” , but he was actually helping bill study for his math final; his mom never found out, but if she did, she’d definitely have a cow.), and he was at the top of his senior class. a valedictorian in the making. and he definitely always made his mother proud, to the point that she’d brag about him to mr. keene whenever they would go in to pick up eddie’s aspirator. she’d always pinch eddie’s cheeks and coo about how easily her son passed through high school and how he was becoming the lovely man she always dreamed he’d be.

eddie  _ never _ had to go to detention.

eddie also didn’t ask to have a fist thrown at his face and his aspirator to be tossed across the cafeteria. and then get blamed for it; when he didn’t even do anything but eat his disgusting school lunch which consisted of that weird half hot half cold rectangle pizza and a cup of lukewarm fruit. but, kids in his grade always picked on eddie. it wasn’t anything new. it was just very different when he came home this time with a bruised cheekbone. he knew why they’d pick on him, everyone knew, but eddie just told his mom he had started up an argument with a kid at lunch.

on the other hand, richie tozier, was always late, failed his classes, (well, the ones he wanted to) and always took sick days, y’know, just for fun. he and bev would ditch out of class, smoke, and listen to old cassettes (which primarily consisted of the ramones, bikini kill, giant drag, and other punk groups) in his pick up truck. they would always get caught and richie and bev would laugh all the way back to the principle’s office, where they would get their usual detention slip for saturday morning at 9. richie’s mom would always get onto him and beg him to at least  _ try  _ in school so he could graduate, it’s all she asked, but, in all honesty? richie didn’t really try as hard, especially when he had bev to hang out with in the parking lot. it was what he looked forward to every day in that hell hole. stan would always get on his ass about skipping too, but stan was a goodie two-shoes. hell, he was a boys’ scout in middle school.

but anyways, richie was  _ always  _ in detention. no doubt about it. never on time, but he was always in detention.

.

.

.

eddie sat in the library desk, fiddling with a pencil as other students piled in. it was 9:16, how were people going to be late to detention? he dropped his pencil on the table and rested his chin on his hands, peeking up at the clock as he sighed. students sat next to each other, laughing and mumbling. all these kids definitely met and became friends through detention. eddie figured no one would sit next to him; he was basically a newbie to being in trouble, but he didn’t have a problem with it. it’s not like he was going to be back here any time soon.

the first bell rung, and the teacher stood up in front of the rows of desks. he had, what eddie assumed, a roster for all the kids in detention. eddie spaced out as the teacher called out names.... he could’ve fallen asleep if he really wanted to. the teacher snapped him out of it as he called his name and eddie murmured a small “here,” and raised his hand, before going back to spacing out. why did people purposely try and come to detention? this was terrible, he didn’t even bring a book to read or any work to do. the teacher’s voice dragged on, long and slow, making eddie feel more than drowsy.

...hamilton,

...johnson,

...lewis,

...marsh,

...roberts,

...tozier.....

tozier....

_tozier_-

the library doors slammed open, snapping eddie out of it (again), and a curly haired, lanky boy sauntered into the library, whistling and twirling his keys around in his fingers. the teacher glared over at the boy, who eddie had assumed was tozier, by the small wave he gave to the teacher, a toothy grin on his face. every chair had been filled in the library, except for the one that was... directly next to eddie. eddie sighed deeply, holding his head in his hands as the lanky boy tossed his bag on the table and practically threw himself in the chair, kicking his feet up on the table.

“ mister tozier, get yourself feet off of the table, “ the teacher muttered, peering at him over his wire framed glasses.

“ awright awright, mistah teacha. “ he spoke in a god-awful shitty british accent that physically made eddie cringe. he shook his head as he tried to ignore the boy next to him who smelled like a strange mix of cigarettes, cologne, and something else that eddie couldn’t really place his finger on. eddie side eyed the latter next to him, who he accidentally caught eye contact with and he felt like he was going to pass out. why was he looking at him!? eddie doesn’t even know his first name, he couldn’t say hi, and he barely saw this kid in the classes they shared. the teacher plopped back down onto the chair, tucking the roster into his pocket before clearing his throat.

“ now, as you all know, detention is not for sitting here and talking or sleeping, you’re all here to work until 2, when you’re dismissed. maybe it’ll be a good punishment to keep you all out of he- “ a loud groan cut the teacher off and suddenly eddie felt like everyone’s eyes were on his table. eddie looked over at… tozier, whose head was tossed back as the long groan came to an end, smiling as he sat back up normally. “ mister tozier, do you have a problem? “ the teacher pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. eddie felt that the teacher already regretted asking that question.

“ yeah, do you think any of us want to actually be here? working on school work that we don’t even turn in and sitting here hearing all the clocks tick away while we waste all day in a place we already spend all week in? “ tozier hummed, sitting up from the desk as he tucked his hands in his pockets, a grin on his face. eddie watched in sheer shock; people actually talked to teachers like this? eddie turned around and saw other students… smiling and chuckling? 

“ alright, richie, sit down. everyone else, get to work. “ the teacher hissed between his teeth, sending everyone in the room to a hush.  _ his name is richie,  _ eddie thought as some people pulled out notebooks, others pulled out a walkman and headphones, people passed notes and chuckled quietly. eddie opened his notebook, doodling on the pages, as he felt someone poke his shoulder, he was okay with the silence but someone actually wanted to talk to him? looking over, he was face to face with richie. he felt his cheeks flush as richie smiled, moving closer to eddie’s ear. why did richie want to talk to him, and why did he feel his heart racing, and why was his cheeks getting hot, and why was he freaking out like this-

“ can i bum a piece of notebook paper off of you? “ richie whispered, leaning away from eddie’s ear as he eyed the smaller, a smile on his face. eddie practically scrambled to rip the paper out of the notebook, fumbling to hand it to richie, who was chuckling at him. eddie couldn’t help but be embarrassed, but his heart was racing. richie pointed to his bruised cheekbone, smiling. eddie smiled and scribbled in his notebook, sliding it to richie.

_ i was hit by some kid at lunch, he tossed my aspirator across the cafeteria. i somehow got in trouble for it.  _

richie chuckled, gesturing for eddie to hand over the pencil. eddie slid it over and tapped his fingers on the table and richie wrote back. from what eddie could tell, his handwriting was awful, but still somewhat manageable to read. and he took a bit to write too, or maybe it just felt like forever with the silence. finally, richie had slid the notebook and pencil back, tapping his knuckles on the table to get eddie’s attention. eddie smiled and looked back down at the notebook, richie watched the smaller as he read, .

_ why did someone punch you in the face? just for fun? was it that shitty bowers kid? heard he’s a super senior. don’t let him get to you. _

eddie felt his cheeks rise in heat as he smiled, twirling the pencil around his fingers. he didn’t even know what to say back, richie probably didn’t know why anyone picked on eddie, let alone his secret that wasn’t so secretive anymore. it sucked, but it was life.  _ c’est la vie,  _ as ben would say, which eddie was pretty sure that was french, and eddie was also sure that c’est la vie was the only french phrase that ben knew. eddie realized he had just stared at the paper before snapping out of it, raising his hand to write again, a smile on his face.

_ if only you knew why. i’m surprised that you don’t know. if you genuinely don’t know it’ll be like a breath of fresh air, but if we even keep talking after detention, maybe we can talk about- _

a hand slammed onto the table, and eddie genuinely almost pissed his pants and richie practically jumped out of his large flannel. both of their eyes slowly trailed up to the teacher who stood in front of the two, whose face was definitely not happy; at all. eddie slid the notebook into his lap as he gulped and richie pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the library falling into a hush as the teacher spoke up, his voice raspy. “ now, tozier and kaspbrak, didn’t i say no passing notes? it can score you another detention, the both of you are brave to actually be passing notes right in front of me, “ the teacher chuckled, shaking his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

“ wait, how come we’re in trouble? we aren’t the only people passing… notes… “ eddie spoke, his voice falling to a hush. he knew he wasn’t supposed to be talking back to adults like that. richie looked at eddie with a surprised, but pleased look on his face, he couldn’t help but crack a smile. “ yeah, it isn’t fair at all, “ richie hummed, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “ haven’t you seen that some people have walkmen and are flicking paper footballs at one another? “ richie countered, raising his brows.

“ are the two of you done? “ the teacher huffed, brows furrowing as he pulled two more detention slips out of his pocket, clicking his pen to write. eddie felt his blood run cold as he watched the teacher scribble down their names and slam the new slips onto the desk, walking back to his seat. eddie knew he was going to be in deep shit when his mom got the call about a second after school detention, but he sighed as relaxed into his chair.  _ c’est la vie,  _ echoed through eddie’s head again as he stared up to the library clock, it read 12:30pm and he was definitely starving. he noticed some kids had snacks and others were passing around chewing gum, richie got a piece from bev, eddie didn’t even think to pack anything. suddenly, eddie felt an elbow nudge his arm and he turned, a piece of gum hitting his cheek as richie chuckled. “o - oh, thanks,“ eddie hummed, scrambling to grab the piece of gum off his lap. 

he realized it was fruit stripes, and he also had realized that the flavour would last at least 30 seconds tops before it felt like he was chewing on a wad of pencil erasers.

but richie seemed to enjoy it, which made eddie chuckle; only children really seemed to enjoy fruit stripes.

richie nudged eddie again, pointing at the notebook, his eyes seemed to be saying  _ can i read what you were writing to me before we got yelled at?  _ through his large horn rimmed glasses that made his eyes look  _ huge _ . eddie nodded, passing him the notebook again as he popped the strip of gum into his mouth, sighing in relief as he got the peach flavor; eddie never really resorted to sweet candies because his mother was strictly… against it, but one piece of gum wouldn’t hurt, right? eddie played with the frayed strings on his sweater as he watched richie smile while reading the note. richie tapped eddie’s knee and made a grabbing motion to his pencil, which eddie gratefully handed over. 

he was really being honest when he said it felt like a breath of fresh air that richie had no idea as to why the rest of their class would pick on eddie. he felt as if he were… new.

richie was scribbling onto the paper, chuckling as he wrote. eddie was looking around the library trying to see if he knew anyone else in here. he saw some kids that were in his ap english class, he saw the one girl with fire red hair he ran into in the hall on the way here,  _ her name is bev, i think,  _ eddie thought to himself, scanning the library for more people. eddie wasn’t mad that he was in detention, he’s mad that bowers wasn’t here, he wasn’t even issued a detention slip, it was absolute bullshit, and now eddie was stuck with his bruise on his cheekbone and a piece of peach fruit stripe gum in his cheek (which was now starting to taste like rubber). eddie snapped out of it as he felt richie slap eddie’s thigh with the notebook, and tossing the pencil onto the desk. 

grabbing the notebook, eddie’s eyes skimmed. richie really did write a lot, and eddie had to reread a few times, grasping what the other had written. 

_ well you know it’s never bad to open up to people. unless its seriously bad, but now we have detention together next weekend too, so maybe i can drive you home today? or if you want we can spot some lunch afterwards and i can take you home? you seem cool and i feel like i’ve clicked with you faster than i have with anyone else. also, nice job standing up to mr. harris just a bit ago ;) _

eddie felt his cheeks fluster as he read the note. richie wanted… to take him to lunch? and drive him home? no one was usually this nice to eddie, except ben, mike and bill, and sometimes that kid from his precalc class… his name was stan and he helped him quite a bit, despite being a grade younger than him. eddie felt his heart race and his hands shake as he reached for the pencil, making an effort to write back to richie. he sighed as he pressed the mechanical pencil to the page, the heat in his cheeks making it even difficult for him to think, and finally writing his response.

_ i’d have to call my mom and tell her i’d be home a bit later, but yeah if you want we can go to lunch. how are you so… mellow about inviting someone to lunch who you just met? what if i was an axe murderer? i’m not saying that i am, but you know… what if?  _

eddie sighed shakily as he handed richie the notebook, he felt like an idiot for even saying that, but he also felt like it would’ve been weird if he erased every single word on the page. he heard richie audibly chuckle and cover his mouth right afterward. eddie definitely knew richie thought he was an idiot. he can’t believe he actually wrote  _ what if i’m an axe murderer _ . you wouldn’t be an axe murderer and be in high school, idiot. 

eddie fell too deep into thought about this.

richie shook the smaller, trying to snap him out of whatever was going on his head, dropping the notebook into his lap and twirling the pencil around his fingers, before clearing his throat and whispering to eddie, a small  _ hey,  _ and still received no answer. he waved his hand in front of eddie’s face trying to catch his attention. “hey, kaspbrak, you okay?“ richie murmured, adjusting his glasses on his face as he eyed the other, who had looked at him like he saw a ghost. he was definitely deep in thought and richie had snapped him right out of that.

“oh, hey, sorry,“ eddie murmured, staring down into his lap as he rubbed his eyes. he definitely was thinking too much about how he had replied; but if eddie was being honest, richie was the first person that treated eddie like… a human being. but richie also didn’t know of eddie’s problem, which eddie didn’t understand how he didn’t know as everyone else at derry high knew. but, eddie was glad, he was glad that finally someone didn’t look at him with a pitied look in their eye or a scoff and turn of the heel, leaving eddie in the dust. he doesn’t know how many people even done that to him, but he was used to it, he was grateful for the few friends he had, and he was grateful that they had stayed by his side no matter what.

eyeing the notebook, eddie read and smiled, he was finally being treated like a human being. he hasn’t been treated like this since the first semester of his sophomore year.

_ definitely wouldn’t be in high school if you were an axe murderer, kaspbrak. but call your mom after detention and tell her you’ll be late, we’re gonna go to a diner that has really good burgers and shakes. also, i’m so chill about it because this is how you make friends hahaha _

eddie looked up at the clock before replying, it read 1:35pm, and eddie felt his adrenaline sky rocket. he didn’t realize how close it was to leaving, which meant going to lunch with richie, which meant actual conversation and sitting down for lunch and talking, not writing in a dingy old notebook, but actually sitting down together and  _ talking.  _ it felt like his heart was in his throat as he looked back down at the notebook, writing and thinking about all the possibilities of everything that could happen at lunch and then the ride back home.

_ well, that makes sense. well then, richie, we will go out for lunch together. i’m gonna have to call my mom off of the library phone as soon as we get dismissed so i can let her know i’ll be back a bit later, if you want to go heat up your car or something… or just wait for me… whatever you want to do. _

the time was now 1:50pm and richie was practically bouncing in his seat, scribbling a reply back to eddie as soon as the notebook was handed to him. eddie was amazed how hyper he was from that one piece of fruit stripes. people around them had started packing their snack and walkmen into their bags, even mr. harris was packing up the book he had been reading. as mr. harris dismissed everyone, richie tossed the notebook to eddie and smiled.

_ call your mom, ill meet you in front. red pick up truck!  _

eddie watched as richie practically ran out of the library, and he chuckled. sitting up from his seat, he walked over to the library phone and dialed his moms number, he waited and waited and waited... until he finally heard the friendly  _ hello?  _ from the other line, a smile on his face. “ hey, ma. i’m gonna be home a bit late, i’m going out to get some lunch, if that’s okay. “ eddie hummed, holding the phone with both hands is if he wasn’t strong enough to hold it on its own.

“ oh, alright, eddie bear… “ she hummed, her tone hushing as she seemed like she was deep in thought. “ well, just be safe okay? and make sure not to eat anything with any peanuts or you could- “ eddie cut her off, finishing the sentence she always said to him. “ or i could realistically die, i know, ma. i’ll be okay. i’ll be home early too, but i gotta go, so i’ll see you later, love you! “ eddie hung up before she could even reply, and dashed towards the front of the school. he saw richie sitting in his pick up truck, belting out song lyrics to songs that eddie’s never heard before. knocking on the window, richie flashed the same toothy grin that he had flashed earlier and unlocked the doors, in which eddie pulled open the door and climbed in and smiled.

“ you ready to go, kaspbrak? “ richie chuckled as he shifted his car into drive and started pulling out of the school parking lot.

“ i’m definitely ready, richie, “ eddie hummed, the loud punk music was hard to talk over, but he managed.

and like that, the two were off to some unsaid diner that richie had mentioned in their notes to one another.


	2. day 1.5: lunch and an adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> richie and eddie go and get lunch after detention, followed by a short music adventure that leaves eddie feeling :-) but not in a good way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOO PLS READ, THERE IS A SLIGHT HOMOPHOBIA AND BULLYING TW FOR THIS CHAPTER!!!! pls keep in mind while reading ily guys!!!!!!

the car ride to the diner felt like a while, there wasn’t really a lot of conversation in the car, just eddie fumbling with the same frayed strings on his sweater and richie tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song was playing through his radio. all eddie knew was that the song was loud, fast, and rough; something that eddie’s mother definitely wouldn’t let him listen to. she already threw a big enough fit when eddie came home with a purple rain vinyl, which wasn’t half as bad as whatever richie was listening to. eddie stared out the window as richie drove (somewhat safely) through the streets of derry, his window slightly cracked and the fall breeze sent a chill through the truck.

“have you ever heard of this group?” richie spoke over the loud guitars and bass that filled the car, looking over at eddie, whose eyebrows furrowed a little.  _ of course i haven’t,  _ eddie thought to himself, pointing at the street. “ ten and two, tozier, keep your eyes on the road! ” eddie hummed, before chuckling a bit. “but no, i haven’t heard of this group. i think my mom would throw a fit if i listened to something like this.” he concluded, looking back at richie, who now had a big grin on his face and both of his hands on the steering wheel. the loud song had finished, a softer, more mellowed out song had come on, and eddie instantly knew that maybe, just maybe, he could get away with listening to this.

“your mom would throw a fit? she monitors what you listen to?” richie laughed, shaking his head. eddie felt his cheeks flush and nodded, clearing his throat. he felt a little embarrassed with how protective his mom was over him, even if he was a senior in high school, his mom still was treating him like he was a kid in 5th grade. eddie hated it, he’ll admit, but he loved it at the same time; it made him feel secure, and safer than ever. “yeah, she would lose it. i bought home a prince vinyl the other night and she almost fainted. she wants me to be a saint and listen to tchaikovsky or whatever she deems as good, but, i dunno… sometimes it’s nice… not to listen to classical or her music, you know? ” eddie spoke, his voice shying away as he talked. richie probably thought he was a dork who listened to prince, everyone listened to prince, but eddie was sure no one listened to what richie listened to, at least no one in derry.

“prince, really? she threw a fit over prince?” richie hummed, turning down the radio as he looked over at eddie cautiously. eddie felt a little embarrassed as he nodded, looking at his shoes as he played with his sweater strings again. “y-yeah, she did. i’m not too sure why, but she was going on and on about how prince’s music was too much for her and it’s too… provocative? she heard kiss on the radio  _ once  _ and changed it to some local station. but she’s usually like that with any kind of music that isn’t her taste.” eddie murmured, and richie raised his eyebrows in response, a whistle falling from his lips. “well that isn’t fun, huh? well, this is a group called the  _ dead boys _ , if you were curious.” richie smiled as he turned down a smaller street. the rest of the ride was quiet, not an awkward quiet, more like a comforting silence.

.

.

.

richie pulled the truck into a small parking lot, a smile on his face. putting the car into park and pulling the keys out of the ignition, eddie eyed the small building in front of them, it was a soft cream color and gave off a warm vibe, and eddie knew it would be perfect to talk to richie here; he’d feel comfortable. following richie’s lead, he stepped out of the truck and followed closely behind the taller; if he was being quite honest, eddie has never even seen or heard of this diner, he didn’t even know what it was called. richie pulled the door open and nodded his head, a signal for eddie to go in first, and eddie felt his heart combust. why was richie so sweet and gentle with him? well, whatever richie was doing, made eddie feel --- and he didn’t want to stop feeling like this.

upon walking in, a waitress approached the two and led them to a small booth by a window, a soft lit lamp hung over the table; it was beautiful, to be honest. it wasn’t anything extravagant, but the simplicity <strike>and richie</strike> made it nice, it made it feel safe. the two sat down at the cushioned booths, flipping through their menus. eddie would ever so often peek over his menu and catch richie staring at him, a small smile on his face, which would then reduce eddie to a flustered blushing mess who would hide behind his menu. finally, the waitress came back and took their orders, richie ordering a meal of pancakes and eggs and a coke, and eddie, a chicken tenders meal and a water. “so,” richie hummed, leaning on the table, his head resting on his hand. “what’s the sitch, kaspbrak?” richie spoke up a little, eyeing eddie as he toyed around with the packets of sugar on the table. 

“well, what do you want to talk about first?” eddie mumbled, eyes fixated on the small packet of sugar, not really making any eye contact with richie. he felt his hands grow clammy and his throat dry up as he stared at the packet. he was willing to talk about everything with richie, he was just scared that he was going to end up reacting like everyone else. he didn’t want richie to leave, he didn’t want richie to look at him differently, he didn’t want to be ignored again he didn’t want it to happen all over again he didn’t want to be turned down again he didn’t-

“well, lets talk about your family then. do you have any siblings? is your dad still in the picture?” richie hummed, tapping his fingers on the table to the song that played over the radio. eddie sighed a little, drawing his attention from the sugar packet to look up at richie, who greeted him with a soft, warm smile. it made eddie feel like he could tell richie absolutely everything and anything.

“well, my dad passed away when i was… five… i don’t have any siblings, so it’s just me and my mom, “ eddie murmured, and richie’s expression dropped as he murmured a small  _ sorry. _ “it’s alright, i don’t really remember much of it, but my mom has been super protective since, since i was the only child.” eddie spoke as he shrugged, an awkward smile on his face. “well, what about you, tozier? do you have any siblings? dad still around?” eddie questioned, a smile on his face, and now richie was the one toying with the sugar packets. it wasn’t awkward, it was just.. strange opening up this fast. richie hummed as the waitress came back, setting the fresh plates of food on the table and richie slid her a tip, winking, and she giggled as she left. 

god, richie really had that charm, huh?

definitely, because eddie’s heart had still been swooning since he held the door open for him. it genuinely wasn’t even that serious.

“well, it’s a whole… family,” richie answered, splitting his pancake in half and taking a bite, chewing for a bit. eddie munched on some fries as he waited, a smile on his face. he felt like he and richie were getting… closer, almost. talking about their families made him feel comfortable with opening up. “i have two younger sisters, wendy and lacey, they’re both at derry elementary school right now, and my parents are still together, happily together for many years.” richie chuckled, fixing his glasses before continuing. “they’re nice, generally, but my moms always on my back about fixing my grades and stuff. “

“well, why don’t you take your grades more seriously?” eddie questioned, taking a sip of his water as he eyed richie, who laughed and swatted his hands in return. eddie furrowed his brows a little, mouth in a frown as he watched richie laugh; he knew he shouldn’t have cared that badly, but he just wanted richie to… succeed, he guessed. he knows he barely knew him, but he wanted the best for him.

“well because eds, life is full of fun! not enough time to study and do homework when you’re having fun!” richie laughed, shrugging. “i would rather have fun then hit the books and work on school work.” he continued, stabbing a piece of pancake to the end of his dull fork. “me and my friend bev usually sit in my truck and listen to music, sometimes we go and get lunch. maybe i should take you sometime!” richie grinned a toothy grin as he looked at eddie, who felt like his heart was in his stomach. he could never skip, his mom would kill him, and he’d probably have a meltdown as soon as he stepped foot out of the front doors of the school.

“oh dear god, no,” eddie choked, shaking his head. “well, now i know why you aren’t in history class, but my mom would kill me if i even thought to skip, “ he murmured, shoving a fry into his mouth. “and if she found out that i left the school and then went to go get lunch? she’d kill me, bring me back to life, and kill me again.” and richie couldn’t help but laugh at that statement, slapping his chest as he choked on his coke. “she would take it that seriously!?” richie chorted, throwing his head back as he laughed. “it’s just one class period! even if it was a study hall, she’d flip like that?!” he continued, as eddie chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “well, yeah, study hall is for studying…” eddie hummed, as richie shook his head, a big smile on his face.

“you are the most square person i have ever met, eddie kaspbrak,” richie hummed, shaking his head as he gazed <strike>lovingly</strike> at eddie, a smile on his face. “that was a compliment, by the way.” 

eddie felt his cheeks flush as he rubbed his own arm, finding it kind of hard to breathe. “beep beep, richie,” he muttered, stirring his water with the paper straw as he eyed richie, who was laughing, again.  _ his laugh is cute,  _ eddie thought, his eyes falling back to the plate that sat in front of him, chicken tenders growing cold.  _ i shouldn’t be thinking he’s cute, that’s not right, i shouldn’t be thinking like this. _

“beep beep, richie? what’s that supposed t’ mean, eds?” richie spoke, tapping eddie’s hand and snapping him out of thought. a smile spread on eddie’s face as he realized how dumb he sounded when he was trying to get richie to shut up; all the laughter was drawing looks from other people in the diner, some smiling, some looking like they wanted them to shut up already. “i don’t know, it’s kinda like shut up, i guess,” eddie hummed, “do you have any more questions?” richie smiled at the words that fell from eddie’s lips, rubbing his chin.

“well, have you ever dated anyone before?” richie questioned, eddie’s brows furrowing as he frowned.  _ did i cross a line,  _ richie thought, a worried expression replaced the cheeky grin that was on richie’s face.  _ fuck, did i cross a line?  _ “well,” eddie hummed, a sigh falling from his lips. “well, i did, but not really. can we.. can we talk about it another time?” eddie spoke, his tone seemed more… sad. “yeah, of course, i’m sorry if i crossed a line, didn’t mean to,” richie mumbled, “but now, you can ask me any question in return, hit me, eds!”

“well, in that case, what about you?” eddie hummed, richie chuckled, shaking his head. “have you dated anyone?” richie smiled, running his long curls out of his face. “yeah, i have. you know carrie robins? i dated her in 6th grade, but otherwise, i haven’t really been in the dating scene.”

eddie eyed the latter in surprise, his cheeks full of french fries as he covered his mouth while he spoke, “ carrie robins? shit, really? didn’t she transfer right after 6th grade? “ eddie murmured, in which richie nodded his head, the curls on his head bouncing a little. “ don’t think it was my fault that she transferred! her dad just got another job offer across town, “ richie chuckled as he shoved the last piece of pancake in his mouth. “ you almost ready to blow this joint, eds? we can drive around for a little bit if you wanna, if not i can always drop you at home. “

eddie sipped his drink, he knew he told his mom he was just getting lunch, but going out for a little bit wouldn’t hurt, right? “ only if you have more cool hidden spots in derry to show me, “ he hummed, as richie pulled out his wallet to pay for his meal. “ i’ll always have cool places to show you, eds. it won’t be hard since you don’t go out that often anyways! “ richie chimed, gesturing the waitress over to pay the bill. eddie felt his face heat up at richie’s joke, it’s not like he was wrong. “ i can pay for my part of lunch,” eddie spoke, scrambling to pull his wallet out of his jacket pocket, “how much do i have to pay?” 

“nothing at all, lover boy,” richie spoke, pulling his wallet out, it was old, the leather was worn and it was covered in stickers, some rips at the seam. eddie furrowed his brows, his cheeks flushed, richie smiling back at him in return. “don’t give me that look, eds, i got it this time, you know, just bein’ a gentleman. “ richie passed a 20 dollar bill to the waitress, and chimed in to keep the change. the two climbed out of the comfortable booths and made their way back to richie’s truck.

the two sat in silence as the truck warmed up, and eddie was practically shivering. he knew a light windbreaker wasn’t going to cover the cold fall chill of derry, but he didn’t think he’d be sitting in a old 70’s pickup truck after school. “ so eds, my love, where would you like to go? we can go to hard wax records, its pretty cool, and maybe we can get you a new record so your mom can flip her lid! “ richie shifted the car into drive as he pulled out of the diner, turning up the radio a little bit. “ yeah, sure let’s go there, “ eddie murmured, his face on fire as richie sang along to whatever was playing from his cassette. “ we have a record shop in town? “ he spoke up over the radio, which richie laughed and nodded in reply.

the drive to the record store consisted of richie singing to groups that eddie’s mom would’ve deemed “too loud” and “disrespectful”, but eddie found the songs quite good, honestly. at intersections, richie would turn to the latter dramatically and would sing lyrics that eddie didn’t even know, but it still had his heart in shambles. the last song before they reached the record shop had richie fully engaged, chanting “i told you so” a few times and smacking his steering wheel to the beat. eddie found it honestly pretty amazing that richie just knew these lyrics like the back of his hand, eddie just honestly remembered that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, as it was jammed into his head since the 6th grade. the truck came to a halt as richie sighed, wiping his brow and doing a mock bow as eddie laughed and shook his head. “ that song was  _ no you don’t  _ by  _ bratmobile _ , “ richie chimed as they climbed out of the truck and wandered into their next adventure.

hard wax records smelled like dust and lavender, but it felt homely. there were record players everywhere, complimentary coffee, and shelves upon shelves of books, records, and new cassettes. eddie found himself gawking at the walls like a child in a candy shop and richie nudged him, pulling him past the partition and into the store, where workers greeted richie, and smiled at eddie. they knew he was new to the store, but eddie spotted some familiar girls from school working there, too. he heard them whispering behind him as richie and eddie made their way towards the record shelves. he felt his heart race and his hands grow clammy, how could one simple thing ruin a whole day?   
  
“ hey eds, look! you can get another prince vinyl to piss off your mom, “ richie joked, turning to the smaller behind him, who was nursing his inhaler and coughing a little. “ shit, eds, you okay? do you need to sit down? “ richie set the record down and grabbed hold of eddie’s shoulder as he guided him to the closest chair, which creaked as eddie sat down. “ what happened? did you inhale some dust or something? “ richie questioned again as eddie shook his head no, shrugging a little bit as he tucked his inhaler in his pocket, a frown on his face. “ no, i just got a little anxious and couldn’t really breathe, but i’m fine now, let’s go look at some records, yeah? “ eddie hummed, sitting up from the chair and wandering back towards the shelves, richie cocked a brow at the smaller and followed, tsk-ing a little. “ eds, if you pass out on me, i’m leaving you here, you sure you’re okay? “ richie joked a little as eddie picked up a wham! record and nodded yeah, a laugh falling from his lips.   
  
“ yeah, i’m fine, tozier, do you think i should get this? i heard this one was really good, “ eddie hummed, showing richie the record, which was wham!’s  _ fantastic,  _ which richie snorted in return, before breaking out into his own little rendition of  _ club tropicana,  _ to which eddie rolled his eyes and nudged richie, before slipping the record back into the shelf. “ come on eds!  _ fun and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone! _ “ to which eddie muttered a beep beep richie, as richie walked towards the next shelf, chuckling like the dork he is. “ let me introduce you to some good music, eds. not to bash on your strange love of wham!, but ill show you some good stuff, okay? “ richie chimed as he read through record spines, pulling out a few as he hummed and eddie just played with his watch. “ do you like rock music, eds? “ richie hummed as he peeked at the other, and eddie replied with a shrug and then a head shake of ‘no’, a sheepish smile on his face as richie smiled, handing him the 4 records he already picked out for him. “ we’ll get you some motley crue and bikini kill too, then. “

by the time richie was done, eddie had a total of 7 records in his arms. “ i don’t know if i have enough money for this, rich, “ he murmured, to which richie sprawled out the records on the table in front of them. “ pick out the three most appealing album covers to you, and we’ll go from there, yeah? “ richie hummed, as he watched eddie eye the records in a confused manner. in front of eddie sat a few records, motley crue’s_ too fast for love _and_ shout_ _at the devil_, bikini kill’s ep, bratmobile’s _pottymouth_, dead boy’s_ young, loud, and snotty_, joan jett’s _bad reputation_, and john lennon’s _rock ‘n’ roll_. carefully, eddie picked up too fast for love, pottymouth, and young loud and snotty, and richie felt his heart do cartwheels across his chest. “ you have amazing taste for not hearing these groups before, eds! lets go get you checked out and we’ll get you home so you can listen to them! “ and richie definitely seemed more excited than eddie. richie got up and put the remaining vinyls back in their place, and the two girls passed eddie, giggling, and muttering under their breath.

“  _ what a fairy,  _ “ one hummed.

“  _ wait until tozier finds out about that freak,  _ “ the other giggled.

eddie felt his heart lump in his throat as he chewed on his lip and acted like he didn’t hear the girls, he tapped his foot anxiously on the floor,  _ he had to leave he had to leave he had to leave he had to lea- _

“ go and check out eds! i’ll be done in a second, “ richie chimed, and eddie immediately made a beeline straight to the check out, where he paid and anxiously waited for richie, who seemed to have been moving in slow motion. eddie pulled out his inhaler and took a puff, trying to ease his breathing as richie made his way towards him. “ you ready to head home, eddie spaghetti? “ richie smiled as he dug his keys out of his coat pocket and walking towards the door. “ where do you even keep coming up with these nicknames, rich? “ eddie hummed weakly as he followed along. the sky had turned dark with the fall chill growing colder and eddie inhaled deeply, standing still for a second before going to the truck and climbing in. 

“ you good, eds? we’ll get you home right now, don’tcha worry! “ richie hummed, patting him on the shoulder, before turning the car into drive and speeding down the street. “ alright, i’ll be fine rich, don’t worry. i live on chestnut avenue, i'll just tell you what house to stop at, “ eddie spoke up a little bit and richie nodded fast, a small smile of relief grew on his features as eddie started to talk more, he was genuinely worried for him back at the record store,  _ maybe he just didn’t feel good from lunch, or maybe being outside for too long overwhelmed him, who knew, _ richie thought,  _ as long as he’s okay now. _

the two drove down the quiet derry roads, some front porch lights flicked on, others flicked off, and richie felt at ease. eddie did not. eddie knew his mom was going to chew his ass off for being home so late, which it wasn’t really late, it was just dark out. it was probably like 5  -something, but eddie still felt his heart going a thousand miles per hour; not only was it dark, but eddie also had 3 records in hand, 3 records that he knew his mom was not going to approve of. eddie snapped out of it as richie whipped around a corner onto eddie’s street, and then slow down, to which richie hummed, “ just tell me when to stop, okay kaspbrak? “ which eddie softly chuckled, “ hey, pull over for a second, please? “ his voice was small and quiet as richie pulled the truck over and into park. “ what’s up eds? “ richie hummed curiously as he pushed the lights in the truck on so they could see each other. eddie never noticed the array of freckles on richie’s face, how they adorned his cheeks and bridge of his nose, it was mesmerizing, honestly. “ oh, uh, do you.. do you have a pen? “ eddie stammered, rubbing the back of his neck as he dug in his record bag, pulling out his receipt. “ oh yeah, why do you need a pen? leavin’ me a love note, eds? “ richie snickered as he passed the pen from his cupholder to the latter, who rolled his eyes and scribbled something down, folded it up, and tucked it into richie’s flannel pocket. “ there you go, dummy, my house is at the end of the street, so lets get a move on, “ richie felt his cheeks flush as he smiled, pulling the car into drive and zooming down the street. “ hey hey hey, stop here! “ eddie practically yelled, as richie hit the breaks right in front of the small cobblestone house, laughing hard as he unlocked the doors. “ get inside before your mom kicks your ass eds, i’ll see you in history class! “ richie yelled as eddie climbed out of the truck, slamming the door and running up the steps as richie sped off, and eddie waved good night and walked into the house, running up the wooden stairs and tiptoeing his way into his room. he tossed the records on his desk, and plopped on his bed, a big, goofy smile on his face. richie pulled his truck into the driveway, pushing the lights on in his car as he flipped open the note eddie left for him, and he felt his heart sing and cheeks flush. 

_ 207-128-0220. call me! :) - eddie spaghetti _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow so it really took me a whole year to write this chapter ahaha it took so long to write and it probably sucks ass and no one probably remembers this fic but THATS OK i just needed to write;;; hopefully this will be able to be something i can keep updating normally and not years apart TT_____TT im trying my best y'all i promise
> 
> also don't try and call eddie's number lol i just made that up on a whim
> 
> i hope u guys enjoy the chapter i love yall thank u for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you guys enjoy!!! i'm gonna try my best to write the next chapter soon but idk how long this is gonna go just know there might be some cute shit and some angst:-)


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